The value of in-person schooling during times of educational disruption: Impacts on students' emotional problems and subjective well-being

Abstract

This study examines the effects of large-scale school closures on the emotional problems and subjective wellbeing among primary school students in South Korea. Using administrative records on in-person school days and panel survey data from 2018 to 2022, we find that more in-person schooling during the pandemic reduces students' emotional problems-such as aggression, social withdrawal, and psychosomatic symptoms-and improves self-reported health. These gains are smaller for students with lower socioeconomic status, highlighting inequalities in the emotional benefits of school reopening. Importantly, the benefits persist: students with greater in-person exposure in 2020 continued to report better emotional health and higher subjective well-being for at least two subsequent years. We also find that stronger interpersonal relationships and healthier time use are associated with these sustained improvements.